The Jacinto Guard, Clayton Carmine
by The95will
Summary: I shall remain vigilant and unyielding in my position as a guard. I will defend and maintain the order of life as it was proclaimed by the Allfathers. I will forsake the life I had before so I may perform my duty as long as I am needed. Steadfast, I shall hold my place in the machine and acknowledge my place in society. I, Clayton Carmine will defend to the best of my ability.


Henderson 7

A City Guard

Clayton stared off in the distance while the orange sun bathed the farmland. Golden waves of wheat lowered and danced with the wind. Behind the wheat, lush green trees rattled tree-branches as if to wave at the northern section of the city walls. The middle of the fields was a stone roadway that leads into a city called Jacinto.

The young guard sighed then felt a bead of sweat drift off the tip of his nose underneath his helmet. Clayton's free left hand reached toward his belt to unclasp a water skin pouch but kept his eyes level, given the fields. Water rushed down his throat and swallowed smoothly.

"Ah." Clayton chimed and nodded. This young man could be no older than nineteen years old and stood at six feet tall. Underneath his grey long sleeve shirt was a chainmail shirt with a brown cowhide short sleeve shirt layered on top. Dressed in black leather pants and cowhide leather boots. On his head was a heavy steel, ceramic, and leather stitched helmet. It was definitely custom made.

A halberd stood upright in Clayton's right hand. The pike and ax portion of the weapon reflect the orange sunlight. This halberd was not a walking stick, nor did it feel heavy in Clayton's hand. Wood seared with the metal, and at the nap of the weapon was a circular gear-shaped crest with a bundle of wheat crossed with a sword to form an 'X' in the center. And underneath the Cog shape, was an opened book, so it appeared like the emblem spout upward. The halberd was a companion than a tool.

Behind Clayton, there was a series of footsteps. He glanced at the source to spot a middle-aged man approach. He had short kept and receding black hairline and wore a weathered apron over his shoulders and brown clothing.

"Afternoon, Gale."

Gale smiled and held up a small water-skin bag at eye level. "I brought you some food for tonight."

Clayton lifted his halberd up and lightly tapped it on the brimstone floor as he turned to the innkeeper. "You do not have to do this, I could get something from the barracks!" Clayton's halberd rest against his right side of his chest.

"I am aware, but you stopped a drunken brawl at my inn last week. I am here to repay the favor." Gale beamed a soft smile. "No matter what you say, I will not take a 'no' from you."

Clayton's shoulders dropped slightly and tilted his head down in defeat. During late-night patrols, Clayton stopped at Gale's inn called The Violet Vein. It has some good cider ale which is beloved by the locals for its quality.

"You join the army, and they put you on guard duty in Jacinto of all places…" Gale muttered as he put his hands on his hips while Clayton looked at the contents of the water skin bag. There were two chicken legs, a small sack of rice, green beans, two wooden cups, and two horn cups filled with fluids. One had water, while the other had cider ale.

Forty feet below the city folk slowly and calmly checked in the gate guards to enter, and the people leaving the city were about as frequent. Maybe seeking Jacinto for refuge and others using the city as a pit stop.

"When was the last time you stopped a murderer or a group of morons thinking they could steal from a shop keep?" Gale asked while Clayton took out a chicken leg glazed with spices. "Some travelers are spooked to think they'll encounter a pickpocket.

Clayton lowered his head slightly. "No, the last time I chased a thief was a month ago. Even then, I think an army is more of a concern."

"Bah!" Gale lifted his arm up out toward the wheat fields. "Do you really think the Republic would send an army this deep into Ephyra?"

"I do not know." Clayton glanced to his right. The northern and eastern walls stood over to watch over the farmlands while the western and south-western walls had the docks. Jacinto being linked to a lake with rivers spouting out to villages and other cities more rooted in the country. Jacinto is a city that has rich and fertile soil, it could give grain and wheat. If the Republic sack Jacinto. There could be food shortages throughout the land. The thought of parents struggling to give their immediate loved one's food. Clayton's right grip on the halberd became less firm.

"I fed your instructor a while ago, he mentioned you were a _natural_ with a polearm." Gale walked to the chest-high stone of the city wall. "I heard that you were disappointed to become a guard and that you wanted to be out in the real thick of the fight."

Clayton's mind wanders off in thought again. He could remember the training with his halberd three years earlier when he joined the army. Being told that he was able to use his halberd well enough so ruffians and pilfers would remember the importance of their lives if they fought Clayton.

"I feel like something is bothering you?" Gale asked while Clayton took a bit of chicken.

"I have overthought about it." Clayton's eyes drifted away from the farmland. In the past, Clayton was disappointed to be a guard when he started out after training. "I do not mind the position."

"There is a 'but' missing in that statement."

The sun started to set as a violet color illuminated the sky. Several clouds formed as Clayton turned to Gale.

_Should I be with a combat garrison and fight the Republic like Anthony?_ Clayton recalled his younger brother Anthony, who is also in the army not as a guard but as a pike-man. To shove metal in a charging cavalry of horsemen, being there to prevent something else from killing them. While Clayton stays safe and keeps drunkards from picking fights with each other.

"I do feel honored to help my countrymen for security, and it's not some longing to do more in life." Clayton set his halberd on rest on the wall. "I am worried like I am not doing enough, like why should I be comfortable here? Others are in the mud and blood."

In the water skin bag was a small hollowed horn filled with cider ale. "I get to enjoy some daily pleasures and not the anxiety of the war. I thought about joining a combat garrison."

"Oh, that's is what is bothering you." Gale's left hand patted Clayton's back.

Eventually, Clayton shook his head and let his mind wander for a moment while Gale remained silent.

Clayton and Gale remained in silence for twenty minutes as the sun ventured to a different part of the planet. The halberd drifted slightly off as Clayton worried about his state of being… the food is excellent and never meager in taste. The merchants, innkeepers, and citizens do know Clayton by his first name as he patrols the streets.

_What if, I convinced myself that this job is too good for me?_ Clayton stared at the ground but did not move from where he sat.

_ I could go out and see the world… maybe become a champion… or find a woman to introduce to Ma and Pa…_

Clayton sighed out loud to himself, Gale noticed it but did not comment about it. It was about time for the men on the wall to ignite torches. Clayton stepped away from the outside view of the city and looked back into Jacinto. The cobblestone streets, straw roof houses, and wooden bridges. But in the very center of the city, was a single clockwork tower. Giant gears spun in place together to have the entire thing operate and tell the time of day.

Thinking little of it, Clayton kneeled down to a crate and removed the lid to take out a torch. Gale stood up as well.

"I do not know what I could say to put your mind at ease, Clay. But you should know that some people think you are doing a better job than other guards in this city. They feel safer when you wonder in their neighborhoods."

"It's not the same as being out in the fight. Others might need me." Clayton retorted as he used his two flintstones to spark the torch. "When patrolling the streets, you meet people."

"Yeah, you met everyone," Gale added.

"It just has a good morning, have a nice day, and I hold a seven-pound halberd all day."

"No!" Gale shook his head. "I heard from Madam Stroud that you helped her mother Helena traveled the city at night last month. Or what about Piety? You made sure his church was secure when some people were going to harass it."

Clayton finished setting the torch in its holster. "Why did you come here, Gale?"

"To show my appreciation. Clay and you help keep the city safe. The thieves have simmered down when you patrol the streets." Gale then pats Clayton on the shoulder again. "Your dutifulness has not gone unnoticed."

Gale stood beside Clayton. "You're doing a lot for this city, and you don't notice it."

But at that moment, Clayton's right hand gripped his halberd tightly as he recalled memories. In the fields, he saw a married couple from one of the farmhouses offer their barn to a group of weary travelers' sleep when they were unable to rent a room.

"Do you remember Govil, the undertaker? He collects the deceased and informs the various other families. When disease struck, Govil and followers are quick to remove the bodies. He learned a spell to help keep bodies from decaying too quickly, so the family grieves in peace before burial." Gale then extended his arm back to on the other side of the gate.

"Simon, the postage man braves the elements and wilds so distant relatives from Jacinto can communicate. He came to my inn once, with a direwolf bite on his knee. Yet, he handed me a letter which allowed me to hear from my sister and the well-being of my nieces and nephews." Clayton raised his head up as the clouds moved out the way, and the full moon bathed fresh glow over Jacinto. The trees waved again at him as the clock tower rung loudly.

"Yes, being a guard is not as exciting as being a soldier on the front lines. As a guard, your function helps other people function too. We all contribute in some manner, and you, Clayton." Gale beckoned as Clayton glanced down. "You're appreciated here in Jacinto. I think maybe serving on the front lines is needed so you can no longer worry, but I feel like Helena, your parents, and I will be ready to see you where you're happy."

Gale then nodded to the fields outside the city.

"A farmer may not be a person who can bleed on a battlefield but sweat tirelessly over the land he cultivates. Soldiers at a different location are given food help endure the hardships of what they could face." Gale continued.

Clayton happily tapped the bottom of his halberd on the ground.

"There are those who want to be soldiers, but here, in Jacinto, Clayton, you do what you can to keep the peace and protect the people within Jacinto."

The moonlight made it easy for Clayton to open the bag and sit down, enjoy the rest of the food. The wheat danced again, the trees waved, while Clayton happily chewed a chicken and stood up and fanned his mouth while the two stared over the farmlands.

"What you do, Clayton may be trivial or boring, and maybe you hate it. But just know, I appreciate you. It's a small boring job, but help make every day pleasant."

Clayton's coddled his halberd and continued to eat the food. "Do you want to watch the moon?"

Gale did not hesitate to respond. "Yes."

Clayton and Gale stood together for what could have been several hours. And when the moon started to set, Gale made his goodbye as Clayton stood there. It was if he was a statue, tall and proud.


End file.
